If you love your olive oil or vegetable oil and cook with it often, you probably have one of those huge metal oil cans in your pantry and use it to refill a smaller container you keep close to the stove. When that container is empty, you can toss it in the recycling, or you can use this trick and grow some spring herbs in it or bring a little green to your home or garden.

The idea is similar to these tea tin planters that we mentioned a while ago, just on a larger scale. You'll need a can opener to cut the top off and some tin snips to mold the edges so you don't inadvertently cut yourself, and something to puncture the bottom of the can so you get some drainage out of the bottom. Over at Apartment Therapy, they suggest some terra cotta feet to raise the planter off the ground a bit and aid drainage, but you could use just about anything to accomplish the same thing. If you're looking to use yours indoors, you might want to put a pot plate underneath to catch any excess water.

From there, all you have to do is fill the planter with soil and add your plant. The end result is a planter that can fit anywhere, and if you like the art or design of the oil cans, looks good in your home or in your garden as well. What do you think? Would you try this, or do you have another favorite use for these oil cans? Let us know in the comments below.